Bipartisanship: The Government Shutdown Vice that Sold the American People Out Yesterday

OK, Freedom Outpost readers, this is a rant. It's not news, and it's not satire. It's a rant. I have had it up to here (holds my hand up way above my head) with the nonsense that has become the federal government. Though I called the caving of House establishment Republicans weeks ago (See here), I still held out some bit of hope that someone would force them to do the right thing. That was hopeless optimism.

Republicans have had every opportunity to oppose and defund Obamacare, but they continually looked to compromise, compromise with a traitor and a narcissistic Marxist. For those Republican senators and House Representatives who compromised in order to keep Big Government (which you say you oppose, but in action you support), I have a question for you? What good are you? What good are you to the Constitution? What good are you to your constituents?

By now, I can hear some neo-cons saying, "But why aren't you directing your vitriol at Barack Obama and the Democrats?" Here's a news flash. I have! That is a given. It was Democrats and Barack Obama that have nearly doubled our debt since he took office. They have never passed a budget in in the last five years. In fact, the latest budget still sits in the senate since June and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) won't bring it up for a vote! They have had over $1 trillion in deficit spending each and every year for the past 5 years.

However, all of that has been supported, since at least 2010, by a Republican controlled House, and do you know why? It's something called "bi-partisanship." That little thing that everyone thinks is a virtue, but in actuality is a vice. It's a vice for compromise of principles and at every turn, Republicans (not all, most quite a few) are willing to give up their principles for the sake of getting along and "getting something done." Forget that the "something being done" is unconstitutional and hurts the country. They can't stand the heat, but they won't get out of the kitchen and let someone else cook.

I don't know about you, but when I vote for someone and send them to represent me, I don't send them there to compromise with enemies of the law. I send them there to demand the enemies of the law and what is right surrender to the law!

I came across a blog post yesterday from Matt Walsh. It was on this very issue of bi-partisanship and over the compromises that appear to take place between Republicans and Democrats. Matt presented (and I recommend the entire article) a satirical scenario as follows:

I went for a walk down the street, when two nice gentleman approached me. They were both rather large, and they had tattoos on their necks and faces. Before I had a chance to say 'hello,' they pulled out their guns and pointed them at me.

The one on the left said, "give us wallet and your watch!"

But then the one on the right retorted, "no, just give us your wallet and, maybe, like, one of your shoes, or something!"

The guy on the left became visibly frustrated. "No! I want your wallet and your watch! If you don't hand them over, I'll shoot you in the head!"

The guy on the right wanted nothing to do with this suggestion. "Outrageous! I say, give over your wallet and your shoe, or I'll shoot you in the chest, and then possibly kick you in the shins three times, maybe four, but no more than seven!"

Oh boy. These fellas just couldn't agree on anything! They started to argue and bicker about what, exactly, they should steal from me, and how, precisely, they should brutalize me if I don't comply.

I tell you what, I was just fed up with all of it. That's when I puffed up my chest and shouted, "HEY! ENOUGH!"

"You two need to come to an AGREEMENT about what you're going to steal from me and how you're going to assault me, and you better do it THIS INSTANT! I've had it up to here with your squabbling! This world needs more bipartisanship!"

Suddenly, the argument stopped. They nodded at me, smiled, shook hands with each other, and came to a consensus. They decided to steal my wallet, my watch, both shoes, my jacket, my cell phone and my socks. Generously, they even agreed to only shoot me in both arms and batter me in the knees with a baseball bat.

I thanked them kindly, as I lay on the pavement naked, bleeding profusely; they accepted my gratitude graciously and walked away. I think we all came away from this encounter with a pretty important lesson.

That lesson is this: the most important thing in life is agreement. It doesn't matter what the agreement is, or what it leads to, or what it involves, just as long as everyone gets along. Amen?

Doesn't this describe the Democrats and Republicans in Congress? Isn't that just what happened yesterday? They act as if they are really opposed to one another, but in the end, they smile, shake hands, sing Kumbayah, and sell out their people and their country.

No one was going to default. There was plenty of money to cover our debt payment. Default was merely what was being pushed because that is what Barack Obama was going to do, not Congress.

This latest sell out by establishment Republicans, as Dean pointed out this morning includes $2 billion for a freaking dam for Mitch McConnell! It back pays non-essential federal employees for weeks they have not worked. It also pays state employees who are federally funded with federal grants. It continues to fund the train wreck that is Obamacare. These elected officials and their staff, along with numerous businesses have been granted illegal and imaginary waivers from the Affordable Care Act. I mean Republicans didn't get squat in this deal, except more government spending, which they claim to oppose. It provides a rate for operations of $1,012,000,000 for Judiciary, Defender Services (a $26 million increase) to address shortfalls in Federal Public Defender Offices. Yes, that's trillion! It funds $636 million in firefighting. Why can't states take care of that?

While I appreciate the stand that Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) took with his nearly 22 hour speech, he told us he would use every possible procedural means to oppose Obamacare. However, yesterday, he said he would do nothing but vote "No." I appreciate the vote, I do, but come on. Do the other part you said too! Take time and expose all of the crap that was thrown in this bill at the expense of the taxpayer.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) also voted against the bill, but said it was a good thing to reopen the federal government.

These last two are the good guys, and besides their vote, which I'm grateful for, they didn't take that hard stand to filibuster. Why? Was it because the outcome seemed to be inevitable? Is that not a defeatist mentality? If that is the case, why the nearly day long talk from Senator Cruz?

Others have come out and declared that we can't do anything until Obama is out of office. I have news for those who think like that. If the man ever gets out of office, and that is a big if, then rest assured that things like Obamacare will be fully entrenched into the system just like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other social programs. There will be absolutely no way to rid us of it.

Kicking the can down the road and submitting to Obama is a dereliction of the constitutional requirements of holding elected office in the federal government. Anyone and everyone that voted for HR 2775 yesterday in the House and Senate should be removed from office. They have no business claiming to uphold and defend the Constitution, when they clearly are not doing so.